wolfstar76
Headphoneus Supremus
Wow, what a treat! This is much much larger than CanJam, but of course many of them are 2 channels.Munich High End Impressions
Happy Sunday AllJust got home from quite the amazing weekend in Munich, having never been before I was expecting mostly speakers and 2 Channel, but there was soooo much headphone stuff I had my hands full. It was like a smorgasbord of audio toys, anything and everything one might want to try, all crammed into about a million square feet of show - it was so big I was getting lost on the regular. I almost decided to just skip it since I wasn't feeling great, and I twisted my knee pretty badly putting my son in bed, but in the end I'm really, really happy I went. It was so much fun, and I heard so much amazing gear. Met some super cool people as well, audiophiles are cool cats
. I also got to hang out with my bud @slumberman which is always a treat.
My intent to go was two-fold. For one, just to hear insane setups, things I could never afford, but get to enjoy them surrounded by 20,000 like minded individuals. Secondly, I was really interesting in trying my Traillii Ti with some high-end desktop amps, after hearing it on the Riviera AIC-10 in Amsterdam I just can't get the sound out of my head. It may seem silly to actively search for megawatt headphones amps to use with IEMs, but I can tell you, the results are staggering. Headroom is something that should not be discounted - the upgrade in sound, staging, dynamics, resolution and sheer image size was wild to say the least. I heard a lot of amps, a lot of everything, so much so that I was dizzy at the end of each day, but it was totally worth it. Here be my impressions on my favorites, in no particular order.
CAMPFIRE AUDIO
I finally got to meet the man himself: Ken Ball. A super sweet man, we had a nice talk. Got to hear the newest Solaris along with the Bonneville. The later is by far the best and most impressive CFA IEM to date, for me at least. Great bass, very musical with nice technicals too. I love how small and comfy all his IEMs are, not a fan of the crazy colors but that's only me. I also heard his now discontinued ALO amp, and it sounds really amazing. It's only 2.5mm balanced out so I couldn't try it with my gear, but it was fantastic with the Bonneville. Ken told me he has some super cool stuff in the works, so we should all be on the lookout for that. He didn't give me any actual details, but hinted that they will be his best ever.
Unique Melody Mason ST
I was randomly at the Cayin booth and to my surprise there was a new Mason ST demo unit there. I can confidently say this is the best Mason ever, period. Very large stage, big impact, beefy and meaty signature that is thick yet open, with a very linear presentation. I wouldn't say neutral, but very natural. More musical than technical, though it has very high resolution. Silky UM mids at their best - if you're a UM mids fan these are it. Bass is quite pronounced in the mid bass area, lots of thump and guttural punch, less subass as other IEMs, but more than previous Masons. As others have mentioned, there are no transitions between bass or mids, or treble, it all flows together in a very unique way. Not a W, but like a natural line that alleviates the feeling of peaks or valleys. The shells are pretty big and chonky, but somehow I got a better fit over the AP. They are very pretty, I thought I would prefer the blue but after seeing them in person I would opt for the red if I got one. The blue is a bit pistachio over night sky, but each one is unique of course. Good stock cable, softer than earlier PW cables. Tuning wise I think a lot of people will prefer the AP, the Mason is far more flat sounding until you let your brain adjust. The new BCD is very very good, positioning and layering are very impressive. I know the price is very divisive, the AP is too, such is the UM thing at the moment.
I personally prefer the AP, it's more of an all-rounder where the Mason is certainly a vocals and acoustic instrument specialist. If it's worth the money is totally up to you, but it is a very good IEM if you like that type of signature.
Feliks Audio
Having always wanted to try these amps out, I was very happy to find they had a private room where it was quiet and relaxed, away from the crowds and noise. I was able to try out the Euphoria Evo, and their flagship Envy. These amps sound really really good, and they should for the price - the Envy is $7k! If you like a more traditional tube sound, really rich and vast, these are as good as anything I have ever heard. The Euphoria was good, but the Envy was something really special. Massive sound, so rich, lovely and textured, i was in love. They have very good technicals, forgoing too much gooey-ness and giving a sound as pristine and clean as a full tube amp could. Extremely musical, thunderous in the low end, mids wrapping around you like a soft blanket. I liked these very much, and when paired with my LP6 Ti AE this was analog heaven.
And while I was enjoying myself enraptured in tube fed bliss, I looked up and there was Ahmed from Elise Audio! Such a nice and kind guy, we got to chat for a bit and then got down to business enjoying the Feliks Audios together.
Sennheiser HE1
One of best there is, no doubt about it. Deserving all the praise they get, and then some. They are the most effortless and lifelike headphones I have ever heard. My only gripe is the show floor is FAR too loud to enjoy these really, and while it was an amazing experience to hear a $70K setup like this, it would have made sense for them to have a quite room. They did set out lots of chocolate and snacks, and the team was so nice and fun to be around.
RAAL Immanis
These sound amazing. I got to hear them from several amps over the course of two days and they never disappointed. One of the best headphones I have tried, and lovely to look at too. Very comfortable, a far cry from the space helmet style their other flagship uses. There were in fact so many of them, it seemed almost every booth has a pair or two. To my ears they are more bassy and thick than other RAALs I've tried, without sacrificing the spaciousness and airy tone that RAAL is famous for. Very detailed, but also quite musical. They are soulful, while also giving you so much information, depth, spread, and space between the layers it's quite a feat. I didn't spend an enormous amount of time with them, with any headphone really, but they are amazingly good.
Hifiman
I've heard the Susvara a few times now, and I was always impressed but not totally blown away. This time I was plugged into their huge EF1000 DAC, and let me tell you, this was "the sound" I always expected for an HP with such hype around it. It was simply phenomenal! I was really blown away actually - it was lush and detailed, extremely refined and with insane levels of microdetails and resolution. It was gentle, with endless finesse. Musical, uber technical, all in one massively impressive package. I get it now why many call this the best headphone available. It was good before, but in this combo it was absolute next level stuff.
Sitting next to the Sus was the Shangri-la, along with its dedicated tube monster amp. A daunting setup for sure, as much so as the HE1 in terms of sheer size and impressiveness. Unsurprisingly it sounded glorious. Staggeringly good. But truth be told I actually preferred the Sus, there was this sense of slight warmth and sweetness that I really enjoyed. The fact that its "affordable" compared to the Shangri-la makes it all the more compelling.
SPL Phonitor XE
I had never heard an SPL product before, but this German made amp really snapped my attention. It was the most beefy and thunderous I tried over the whole weekend. Not the most resolving or musical, but it has this intoxicating sound that brings so much dynamics and power. Bass was crazy out of this bad boy. Very enjoyable, and relatively "cheap" for around $2.5k for the amp and a bit more to include their DAC inside.
Zahl HM1
I read a lot about these before the show, and I was delighted to find the designer and owner Michael Zahl (Zaël) just sitting there with a welcoming smile. Such a nice guy, we talked a lot and I spent a good amount of time with the amp. I first listened through his DAC and rig and it was just as good as I expected. Very clean and clear, transparent and solid. Never bright or overly crisp in any way, just huge power and a very engaging and enjoyable listen. He designed them to be a headphone amp for studio monitoring, and I totally get that vibe. While I haven't heard the MK 465, based on the MK475 I spent time with the HM1 is in a similar style, very transparent and powerful, but this lovely musicality to it as well. Not cold or sterile, but not warm or gooey at all either. One feature I really like is his stage expansion knob, I can't remember the name he used. I found it to keep the mids and vocals completely unaffected, while bringing the outer edges of the stage far far deeper, wider and taller. It was this massive expansion that didn't affect the tonality at all, with my Traillii it was so big I couldn't believe I was listening to an IEM. Insane.
I really wanted to hear it with my LP6 Ti AE, pairing such a SS neutral style amp with a rich R2R sound was something I had to try - bud sadly I didn't bring the right adapter with me. But Michael searched around and found one for me, so first thing the second day I went right to his booth and it was waiting there. How kind of him!
Paired with the AE the HM1 took on another level completely. It harnessed the dense, rich and thunderous tonality but made it immensely bigger, more punchy and solid, and just magnificent. One of my favorite moments from the weekend. We spoke about using IEMs with desktop rigs and he showed me a sneak peek of the coming HM2, armed with a 4.4mm jack and some internal stuff that will indeed make it more functional for sensitive IEMs - super cool!
HAA Headphone amp
Stephan from Headphone Auditions Amsterdam brought his new headphone amp for me to try, and it's super interesting. It's designed by Stephan, and built by Thrax. There are no controls of any kind, you just plug it into AC power and plug your DAP into it using the PO jack. You control volume from your DAP, it's essentially a power amp. It sounds really good, with very minimal coloration it simply expands your DAP's power allowing to use any HP, yes even the Susvara. I can imagine this being great for Sony WM users, since you don't need an LO. Or really anyone that wants to use HPs with their DAP at home. I liked it a lot also with IEMs, it increased dynamics, stage, punch, air, and details in a way that never lost the sound of the DAP. I took to calling it the "Headroom in a box", and I highly recommend it. It sells for around $3K if I remember correctly.
DCS Lina Stack
After hearing this setup in Amsterdam it was so good I was losing sleep. I know that's weird to say, but I had never heard anything quite like it. It's so detailed, so layered, so clean and clear while also having that R2R-ness that just sounds like the purest form of music. Hearing it again in Munich solidified again my feelings that it is indeed one of the best pieces of gear I've ever heard. Its astonishingly good, incredible. So lifelike you feel you can reach out and touch the music as it engulfs your senses and heart. I know it's $30K for this setup, and I'll never own one myself, but f&^&^%$^&$&ing hell it sounds incredible. And then they let me try out the Rossini DAC... It's hard to imagine it being 20% better, but it was. I've never heard details like this. It was like someone took a blanket off my ears, the layers and layers of micro details and improvements in ultra refined and lush sound was simply breath-taking. They had it paired with the Lina Clock and Amp, so it was very nice to hear only the change from the DAC. It is another $30k just for the DAC, so yeah, not for everyone. But a once in a lifetime experience for me.
The team there was sooooo cool and sweet too, they seemed to genuinely love what they do, and they got a kick out of me losing my mind over and over again with their stack. I was in tears a few times. I came back a few times, and then again. They always let me come in, take a seat and listen as long as I wanted. They even shared some chocolate cake with me. Phil, Ady and Georgia, you guys are amazing!
Riviera AIC-10
I also heard this for the 1st time in Amsterdam, and I also lose sleep over this one. Many consider this to be the best (one of the best) headphone amp(s) ever made, and I would certainly agree. It's a hybrid, with only one 12AU7 in the preamp, and a SS output section, and good lord does it sound good. It has all the positives of tubes, with all the positives of Solid State, and seemingly no negative traits from either. It's insanely powerful, lush, vivid, punchy, detailed, massive, and emotional. It makes everything you use it with sound incredible, lifting all your pairings to new heights. Mids especially are so lifelike, it's rather astonishing. Killer bass, smooth and effortless treble, just a magic box. And for $17K it better be.
It is tubey, but far more neutral and precise than something like the Feliks Evo, which of course depends on your tastes too. I could write pages and pages on how good it is, but I'll spare you all of that. Suffice to say I love it sooooo much
SAEQ
I had heard about SAEQ (Serbian Audio EQuipment) from my buddy @Kiats - in every photo he shares of his gear there's this amp with a golden knob, and I always wondered what it was. On Friday afternoon, taking a break from the crazy energy of MHE, I heard SAEQ had a booth at HiFi Deluxe, which was, rather weirdly, another Hi-Fi show happening a few miles away in a hotel. I had heard everything I needed to, some twice or thrice, so I bid adieu to the big show and hopped on the train. Turns out the show was really just a few hotel rooms, with a few companies, in a nice quiet and relaxed atmosphere.
Dragan, the owner and designer of SAEQ amps is such a wonderful man. He's like a teddybear, and from the moment I stepped inside his booth I felt right at home. We spoke for a while and then he excitedly told me to try his new amp, the Armageddon. He insisted he control the music, from his playlist and DAC setup, before I would use my gear. I happily agreed. I was treated to about 30 minutes of Eastern European folk music, jazz and classical music that totally blow my mind. The Armageddon is a staggeringly good amp, with the most engaging, vivid and wildly engrossing sound I have heard. It's tight and punchy, crisp and clear without the slightest shred of harshness or aggression. It's sublime - he played me one cello song and I thought my kidneys might fall out of my body the sound was slicing through me like I was butter. It was so emotional, so deep and textured, sooooo detailed and vivid. This is more of a SS sound over the Riviera, not as tubey or perhaps less "emotional" in that way, but instead its a tad more Hi-Fi sounding, but with live-music like intensity.
Switching over to the Hyperion Ge, the aforementioned gold knob amp, things got really interesting. Here Dragan is using Germanium transistor in the input stage, and it sounds phenomenal. I preferred it over the Armageddon immediately, bringing things much closer to the Riviera in terms or raw emotions and musicality, while keeping the strength, extension, and power of the Armageddon. The Ge is really really special, and i can see why Kiat loves it so much. I would in fact say that the Ge might well be as good as the Riviera, just in a different way. After hearing Dragan's playlist I plugged in my LP6 Ti AE and that was the magic pairing, it was like a quantum leap in all directions. Vocals were massive and sultry, bass was thunderous, gritty or clean, with so much wallup and thump I thought my head would explode. It felt like i was literally inside the music, inside the kick and snare, vocals in my ear, reaching and stretching upwards I couldn't even begin to say where the treble ended and the sky began. Highlight of my weekend, right next to the DSC Rossini.
Dragan liked the AE and his Ge so much together he was literally stroking the AE, thanking it for such nice music, like it was a baby or a puppy. I think he was duly impressed with what the tiny DAP can do, but not as impressed as I was with his amp. While both of his amps are way powerful for IEMs, he offered to make me one with an attenuated output specifically for this use case. On low gain volume 5 out of 24 it was almost too loud, right on the edge of brain melt. But high gain sounded even better, more dynamic, but I couldn't get past 2
And finally, I leave you with one more impression. I did check out some speakers and other things during my time in Munich, but nothing impressed me more than the 2 channel room from Dartzeel. I had never heard of them before, and it took me half hour to find the room getting lost over and over, but I'm glad i did. It must have been a half million dollar setup, or more, but the sound was out of this world. I can't even begin to name all the pieces, but they had a reel to reel, cables made from some moon rock, and active isolation pads under the turntable that adjust something like 100000 times a second, like a laser, to keep the table perfectly flat and still. NUTS.
Thanks for reading, i can't wait for next year!
If you have Bonneville in your hand, unless you are old enough, people won't mistake it for your false tooth
. I actually prefer this to the black version.
